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Oct 6, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward/center Anthony Davis (3) looks to move the ball past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) during the first quarter at Dickie's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Three overreactions from Mavericks' final preseason game vs. Lakers

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Oct 16, 2025 12:57 AM ET

Wednesday night (or Thursday morning, depending on what time zone you're in) saw the final game of the 2025 preseason for the Dallas Mavericks, which Jason Kidd used as a dress rehearsal against a Los Angeles Lakers team that sat every starter and some depth pieces as well. This should've been a great chance to find rhythm on offense, but instead, it turned into a major pain point for the team yet again.

Gabe Vincent started the game by making five straight threes for the Lakers as they roared out to a 20-8 lead in the first four minutes. The Mavericks would fight back a few times, even after the Lakers opened a 15-point lead in the third quarter, but the overall talent disparity eventually started to tip in the Mavs' favor. That still doesn't mean anything about this game was pretty or confidence-building.

The score didn't get out of hand for the Mavericks until they emptied the bench and outscored the Lakers 37-8 in the final frame. When they checked out the primary rotation, they only led by about five after being down for most of the game. However, the Mavericks would go on to beat the Lakers 121-94.

Here are three overreactions from the final preseason for the Mavericks.

This Team Cannot Shoot Threes

It's actually alarming how poor this team is at shooting threes. Outside of Klay Thompson and maybe Max Christie, there's no one else whom opposing defenses respect to shoot from deep. Every screen, people are going under on D'Angelo Russell, Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington, Anthony Davis, Naji Marshall, and Ryan Nembhard. Defenders are closing out as hard on them when they get open opportunities.

The final shooting numbers from this game were centimeters away from being better (the primary rotation ended just 5/24 from three), as Cooper Flagg and Ryan Nembhard each hit shots with their toes on the line, but this has been a theme all preseason.

This problem will only be resolved if they make a trade to unclog this frontcourt, and once Kyrie Irving returns. It doesn't help that there aren't any respectable playmakers to help open up shots for other people. It's almost like having Luka Doncic helped players like P.J. Washington be better shooters.

Smaller Players May Give the Mavericks Fits All Season

Two games ago, it was Miles Bridges, an undersized power forward, who destroyed the Mavericks. This time, it was Gabe Vincent for the Lakers, an undersized guard. Both players were able to operate wherever they wanted on the floor, got up shot after shot from behind the arc, and made the Mavs pay for sticking bigger defenders on them.

Point of attack defense was a concern for the Mavs entering the season. They have great interior defense, but the perimeter defense needs work.

Ryan Nembhard is the Team's Best Point Guard

Obviously, this is a caveat until Kyrie Irving gets healthy, but Ryan Nembhard has had two impressive games back-to-back. The offense looks lost, and then he checks in, and all of a sudden, there are lobs to the rim for Dereck Lively II, quick passes ahead to get out in transition, and a much smoother flow in general. Over the last two games, he had a combined 16 assists. No one else had more than 12 through the entire preseason.

We haven't seen Brandon Williams this preseason until the 4th quarter of this game due to a hamstring injury, so he hasn't been able to put a dog in this fight, but Nembhard has just been impressive with his playmaking. He'll get bullied on defense because of his size, but his playmaking is a necessity. And, at this point, we know Jaden Hardy isn't really playable.

Jason Kidd rolled out Cooper Flagg as the starting point guard in the last two preseason games, which is an interesting experiment for his long-term growth, but they're trying to make him something he's not. Let him go back to the wing.

Nembhard is on a two-way contract, meaning he can only be active for 50 NBA games this season, and they may use a majority of those until Kyrie Irving returns.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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